Page 15 of Summer Love

"I know you're trying to get to know me, and you think there's some mystery underneath, but there isn't. I'm a simple guy."

I snorted. "Now that's definitely not true. Every person has layers. I love peeling them all back and getting to know them."

He shook his head. "I guess that's the writer in you, looking for something that isn't there. I'm as boring as this drywall we're putting up."

I disagreed but didn't bother arguing with him.

We refocused on work and finished the room in no time. For lunch, we ate with the crew in the kitchen where there were boxes we could use for seats, and there were fans running. Then we moved onto the second bedroom in the afternoon.

The entire crew worked well together, as if they'd been doing this a long time. At the end of the workday, the crew cleaned up, said their goodbyes, and left. It was clear that they respected Hudson as the boss.

"You never get anyone complaining about you being in charge just because you're the son?" I asked him as he was doing a final walk-through of the house. It was one last safety check.

He paused and looked at me. "Never."

That was interesting. There was no jealousy, even though all the project managers had to be a Kingston.

"It's a family-run business, but we all deserve our positions. Dad wouldn't give it to us if we didn't. My youngest brothers aren't project managers yet. They work in the crew until they've earned the promotion. The twins work together. Dad doesn't trust them on their own yet."

"You never promote from the rest of the crew?"

"Dad has in the past. But now, the most experienced men are Kingstons. We've been working since we were five."

"That makes sense."

"I think that when you own the business, you have an extra sense of responsibility to ensure everything is run efficiently and smoothly. You don't cut corners."

"That's a good point." Hudson had obviously given this some thought. It made me respect him even more.

I waited for him to lock up and take the rest of his tools to his truck. "Sometimes we can have theft issues at various work sites, so we always take expensive equipment and tools with us each night. It's a pain, but it would be a huge set back to lose them. Plus, no one wants to file multiple insurance claims. It's not good business." He threw the tools into the back of the truck. "Will you come back tomorrow?"

"That's the plan," I said lightly, prepared for him to say that one day should be enough. "What are you doing tonight?"

He cocked his head. "Are you asking me out?"

I laughed and looked away from him. "I was asking because it's my job to shadow you, whether you hang out with your brothers or your parents."

"What if I had plans with a woman tonight?"

I flushed hot at that idea. I didn't want to see him with another woman, even if this was purely professional. "I don't need to be along on your date. But if you're seeing someone, it would be good to meet her."

Hudson sighed. "I'm not seeing anyone."

Relief flooded my body.

"But I'm also not going anywhere tonight. I'll shower, find something to eat, and either read or watch some TV."

"You enjoy reading?" That would be a nice tidbit for the article. A brawny man who worked with his hands by day and read books by night. I imagined he preferred paperbacks to a digital reader.

"Every night to help me go to sleep."

A smile spread over my face. "That's sweet."

He winced. "Please don't call me that."

The thought of him reading in bed was attractive though. "What do you like to read?"

"Some nonfiction, thrillers, whatever I have time to grab from the library."

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